[Tech1] 1953 OB Farnborough

[Alan Taylor]

I haven’t a clue about who might be operating the camera, but I was wondering about the lens.  

1953 was pretty early for zoom lenses, but but that doesn’t look like a Rank Taylor Hobson Varatal III 5:1 zoom lens, which was the only one I know of from then. What do you camera guys reckon was being used?  A zoom, or a big prime lens?

There were probably a lot of ex-RAF aerial reconnaissance lenses available at that time which might be adaptable for TV cameras. That lens certainly does look like it’s a zoom, but the cameraman only appears to be using one hand, which suggests that it’s not a zoom … or maybe he’s just relaxing.

I wondered if there might be more info or pictures online.  I couldn’t find any mention of Farnborough 1953 on the BBC Genome, which seemed odd.  On YouTube there is a Movietone film of that year’s air show and it includes some panning shots which include what might be TV camera scaffolding towers, but it was too blurry to make out any detail. Plenty of nice shots of aircraft of that time for anybody interested in such things.

Alan

> On 26 May 2022, at 12:56, Graeme Wall via Tech1 <tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk> wrote:
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> Nice picture
> — 
> Graeme Wall
> 
> 
>> On 26 May 2022, at 11:36, Alec Bray via Tech1 <tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk> wrote:
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>> I am sure that many of you will have seen this
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>> This is from Geoffrey Negus on the BBC Alumni website
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>> (what do you mean, you are not a BBC Alumnus?)
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>> Geoffrey Negus
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>> One for OB types: much of my time is devoted to sorting material for an aviation history archive. I'm going through a bequest from an air traffic controller, who - not surprisingly? - often photographed control towers. He was a controller at the 1953 Farnborough Air Show. Gazing at a shot of the tower there, I noticed a figure on the roof. What a great vantage point!
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>> <1Q2oON3AcsdNCJ4b.jpg>
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>> Your comments ....
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>> Best regards,
>> 
>> Alec
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>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> =======
>> 
>> Alec Bray
>> 
>> 
>> alec.bray.2 at gmail.com
>> 
>> Mob:  07789 561 346
>> Tel:  0118 981 7502
>> 
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